Monday, June 27, 2016

you can't see them but my new bee/butterfly flower bed has tiny, little green things growing in it.

i mixed up a bunch of different flower types that attract pollinators and i can't wait to see what comes up! jambaloney also dug trenches in front of the tire of the red, old hay-rake thingy and i planted morning glories in front of both tires.

they should climb up the wheels and spokes and look really pretty! this is the newest flower bed jambaloney made for me - it's for nasturtiums.

we'll rake out the grass tomorrow, rock it and i will plant nasturtiums. nasturtium flowers are delicious fresh in salads and sandwiches, or just as garnishes on a plate - but you can also dry them and make your own spice! you can learn more here.

W - we have buds on the grapevines - woohoo!

does anyone know what these beautiful, white flowers are called? i love them....but am too lazy right now to look them up - bahahah!

look at these beautiful trout:

and they sure made for a tasty supper!

we grilled them on the bbq and had fresh made dill, garlic and goat yoghurt dip, guacamole with tons of cilantro and also a little bit of goat yoghurt, some amazing losbster and dill macaroni salad and some lightly sauteed spinach. yummeh!

since W is always asking for updates on the cats...and he is especially interested in edgar...here's edgar sleeping on the summer clothes box that jambaloney just got out of the attic.

he'll probably use it as his little bed until september when the summer clothes go back up to the attic! and i will be summer clothes-less - bahahahah!

our one cat puts up with him laying near him, our other puts up with him from a bit of a distance and our Frankie-Blue-Eyes hates the living crap out of him. but edgar comes and goes where he pleases, has absolutely no sense of personal space so gets growled at and belted in the head several times a day....but he is so tiny and so cute. he's eating us out of house and home but he needs to eat and sleep as much as he wants. he is finally feeling like this is his home and instead of taking off for several hours a day....seems to want to be in the house, in one of his brother's favourite spots, p*issing off his brothers in the process and not seeming to notice. and he is one tough little cutie!

there's a whole pile of crazy happening in the world lately. we choose not to let it get us down or upset our lives. it's not to say that we aren't aware of current events locally, provincially, nationally and internationally - but we just try to stay focused on petting cats, feeding cats, our garden, playing cards, jambaloney's daily contract work, putting up preps, hottubbing, swinging, wandering around our property - do we have the perfect life? ummmm.....that would be a huuuuge NO! but we CHOOSE to try and make it as perfect as can be.

and if you have never eaten a raw nasturtium flower - go grow some and try them! and then make salmon and cream cheese stuffed nasturtium flowers.

if you want to forget about the worries of the world for 5 minutes of pure bliss - eat these. you can find my recipe here.

Friday, June 24, 2016

jambaloney let me sleep in while he did yard chores. then he took edgar for a walk around the perimeter - with a collar and a leash. we thought it would be a good way for edgar to learn the perimeter and stay inside it. we've had him outside several times and he keeps taking off down the driveway....probably because that's where he came from. anyhow, jambaloney had him out for a goodly while and things were going very smoothly until jambaloney took his eyes off of him for 5 seconds....now remember - he's got a collar on AND a leash. jambaloney looked back down and edgar had somehow gotten out of the collar AND leash without jambaloney realizing it. so now his name is houdini (big shout out to dear C who came up with the name when he escaped the bathroom twice!!!!)!

actually we are deciding that houdini will be his middle name because edgar is just such an awesome name for a cat.

you ready to meet him? here he is in all of his poor, shaved glory:

he's something else eh? those blue eyes and colouring - he must be from the same litter or the same mother as Frankie Blue Eyes. here's a pic of Frankie when we first got him:

so we lost edgar houdini AGAIN?!?!?!!? what kind of horrible cat people are we???? but the vet's people told us to keep him confined until he heals, we did a ton of research on how to integrate cats (which we didn't need to do with any of our other cats because each one of them brought the next one home), and edgar came back at dinnertime to get his dinner. he's already learned how to use the cat doors so we figured just let him stroll in and out on his own. which he's been doing all day.

he's very affectionate - our one cat has taken to him but the other 2 don't like him much. there hasn't been any cat-fighting - just a bit of hissing and growling. it will take another few days to get him fully integrated but there is no keeping that cat in!!!

we've had a good day - both of us tired for the past several days, i've been sick from bug bites, jambaloney worked on-site all day yesterday....and then there's been trying to get edgar integrated. all on top of normal house-hold jobs and the garden.

but somewhere in between last week and today - the lupins bloomed!

aren't they gorgeous??? they are native to north america and i have sent several friends lupin seeds - the bees (honey, mason, solitary) and other insects love them. they all also love the scotch broom when it flowers (also native)!

we ate lobster for breakfast (can you believe that? bahahahahaah!), and had this delicious kymberz version of vietnamese hot and sour soup using our own herbs - deelish!

supper will be steak, more lobster and more soup. right now it is very quiet - we want to go outside but can't - too many black flies!!!we'll wait for it to get dark later and then go out and swing. we need a swing or two!

Monday, June 20, 2016

we got edgar yesterday. remember the little stray cat we were feeding? well, my dear friend and neighbour got him in her car yesterday. she said "it's amazing what a piece of chicken will do" when jambaloney met her at the bottom of the driveway with the cat carrier.

remember those trout that jambaloney caught in his tighty-whities yesterday? well, they made for a fine breakfast:

however, the goat yoghurt and garlic and dill sauce i made was a little...ummm....tooo much! more yoghurt will be added to the sauce.

but check out the colour of the flesh of these trout?!?!?!? you just can't eat healthier protein than this!

remember my slanty self-planted ornamental apple tree from a few days ago? his blooms are all white now - so pretty!

it's a gorgeous day out there today but very little could be done - it's windy as oh heck! we're talking 40kms-60kms!!!

i went out and watered the whole garden - that's quite a chore! jambaloney worked on his contract, then washed all of the pots and all of the cat plates - that's an even bigger chore.

then we swung for a little while.

this pic is for my step-dad Ted. he said he liked our swing. when i get a proper cedar swing that jambaloney is going to build me, i will send this to Ted. both me and jambaloney can see him lying in this thing and napping - bahahahaha!

EDGAR: remember the little stray cat we have been feeding, he's so affectionate and he was definitely just dropped here...somehow me made it on his own until now. well, as i said above, my dear friend E caught him in her car with a piece of chicken and he is now living in the bathroom - which means we are using our composting toilet out in the shed again - but he is scheduled for shots, being nipped, and shaved tomorrow. jambaloney will take him in, find out if he needs an overnight stay, and if they can do all of the procedures by end of day, jambaloney will just stay in town and work on his contract with his laptop.

i hate to do this to edgar but we have to, if we want to keep him. we have 3 stray cats, that were given to us, or found us and they are all spayed. if we want to keep edgar, then he needs these procedures done. he is a long-haired cat but his fur is so matted they will need to shave him from his ears to his tail. i am glad that he is having his procedures and shaving, now, in june, so that he won't be cold.

i didn't take a picture of him because we haven't had him long enough to make a decision as to whether he wants to become famous.

noodie-noo loves his picture to be taken...the first people that he met here were B and C...and they said "oh my! he's sooooo handsome!". noodie-noo has never let anyone forget that!

sending much love to all of you!

EDITED TO ADD: oh gawd i feel like an idiot! i openend the bathroom window so edgar could have fresh air. i have checked on him every hour that he has been in the bathroom, loved him, fed him, cuddled him. then jambaloney was working on his contract....and i made this post. then i went to look for edgar. i called up to jambaloney "i can't find edgar?!?!?!?" jambaloney said "what do you mean?" and then he came in the bathroom. we looked everywhere - no edgar. then i looked at the window which i had left open but there is a screen there.

edgar apparently doesn't care about screens or being hemmed in for longer than he cares for.

he sprayed the bathroom screen first, knocked off all of my little trinkets that sat on the window ledge, and then bit and scratched a hole in the screen. jumped out and is now god knows where. we have been out calling for him. we are expecting/hoping he'll be back this evening to be fed.

have you ever felt like such a loser as i am feeling now??? jambaloney thinks it's funny. i want to cry so hard that i can't even cry.

EDIT ENDED.

2nd EDIT: well i guess little edgar did not like being kept in the bathroom, made a break for it and came home for supper. jambaloney grabbed him and put him back into the bathroom. dear gawd, how does trying to keep a little tiny cat for one whole day exhaust you soooo much? well, he's going in to the vet tomorrow - it's 1:30am...me and jam slept after we found edgar at a bout 8:30....now we are both up, haven't had supper, and jam has to be up at at 6am to take edgar in. jam plans to sleep in the truck tomorrow. he's gonna be dead tired. and i am going to be sick all day worried about the two of them.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

jambaloney dug me out a new place to put my wildflowers that attract bees, butterflies and birds.

he made it in the shape of a heart and i planted all of my seeds - it's going to be sooo beautiful!

have you ever seen lemon balm and bee balm plants so big?!?!?!? they are turning into trees!!!

can you see Mobie-Moe in his new hiding spot? he sleeps there all day!

we are finally at a stage when we can prettify the front yard!

jambaloney got me a jug with an infuser - i made cucumber, mint and lemon balm water.

to be honest kids, i think just putting whatever ingredients right into to a jug works better.

we started this morning like lumber jacks - poached eggs on spinach and hashbrowns.

we needed a good breakfast because look how it was today:

two beautiful days in a row! time to load up the atv and trailer and take our stuff down to the river.

snacks and magazines for our trip.

my favourite site in the world. and i always take this pic for my friend C.

you have to admit - we have a pretty awesome set-up down at the river. we're top-notch people - we go all out!

pretty awesome no? not even donald trump lives this lifestyle!

and the mermaid tail was christened!

i sat on my favourite river-sitting rock to christen my tail.

then i suntanned and read magazines. my man did what he always does - he fished in his tighty whities. to protect sensitive parts.

and he caught these three trout in about 10 mins. then i said - enough fishing - it's time for suntanning and feelings - bahahahahah! i love making him talk about feelings. i love to hear his feelings about things.

because it was such a hot day - we ended up having TWO dips in the river - it was sooo refreshing and freezing - but we did it and it was awesome!!!!

we're sunstroked as oh heck. we came home expecting a nap. but my next door neighbour and dearest friend E caught edgar for us...edgar is a stray cat that has been coming here regularly. he needs to get fixed, he needs his shots, and he needs to be shaved from top to bottom - his fur is all in clumps and he is a long haired cat. he's beautiful! i will take a pic of him for you all. he's got bluer eyes than Frankie Blue Eyes. so that now adds 4 stray cats to the Manor. we don't care - we'll take them all in.

sending love to everyone. but sending special love to jambaloney's step-dad - the guy taught jambaloney to dangle off roofs, how to be resource-full when building stuff and how to take other people's junk and make it useful! Happy Father's Day Ted!

Thursday, June 16, 2016

it's been sooo rainy and gray and foggy for what feels like 3 solid months, that we are now calling this kind of day a sunny day!

i would like to thank everyone who commented on my post yesterday about my disappointing denturist appointment. every one of you was very understanding and warm and it really touched me. a big thank you to all of you - sometimes it really helps when you can vent and people understand and act so kindly. thank you all very much!

so, i am still eating mushy food but at least there's some food that's supposed to be mushy - like this delicious french onion soup:

the broth is home-canned beef bone and a variety of veg and spices. when i make broth, i always add at least 1 cup of apple cider vinegar - it helps pull the calcium from the bones. i also bring it to a boil several times a day and let it set overnight, and do that for 3 full days. on the fourth day is when we strain it and can it. that's why the broth is so dark and rich. i carmelize my onion rings in EVOO and butter on low until they are appropriately browned. my crouton is toasted potatoe bread with the crusts cut off. and i broke down and made jambaloney buy me a small bit of mozzarella - i had to have it with my french onion soup - it was deelish!

this little self-planted (?) ornamental apple tree is really blooming nicely. he's in a very odd spot in the yard but i decided that he needed some decoration.

so i put rocks and our home-made mulch all around him. he's a little slanty - here he is from the other side:

but aren't we all a little slanty? here's a closeup of his beautiful flowers and buds:

so pretty!

speaking of pretty - my friend C and jambaloney's mom both gave me ideas on how to get over the disappointment of not getting my dentures yet. C suggested that visualizing helps her with things, so she recommended i make a calendar. so jambaloney made me one and i scratch off a day in the morning.

jambaloney's mom told me to get a picture or draw a picture of myself and then glue in some teeth. that's my project for this evening - bahahahah! i'll be sure to share it with you when it's perfect!

other than that, jam's been working on his contract in between doing odd jobs around the yard. the last time jam was in town he got a big bin of preps so i put those away in our food storage area. i don't think there is a better feeling than shuffling around preps and looking at all of it - it fills me with a great sense of peace whenever i add to the preps.

jam's now working on his contract and we are going to make a nice fruit salsa-type thing. we'll use a mango, peach, apricots, apple, oranges, soy milk, and our fresh mint, lemon balm and coriander. we'll blitzkreig it until it's smooth and then we can eat it for the next few days. supper will be chicken and mushroom pasta, made with macaroni because it's easier for me to eat than spaghetti. then we'll have roasted tomatoes with goat cheese and our own oregano for snack.

it's been a good day so far. we'll be swinging and hottubbing for the whole evening. life really does go on...

thank you all again for leaving such nice messages - it really does mean a lot to me. i'm sending love to anyone out there who wants it.

About Framboise Manor

Framboise Manor is our Bug-Out Location (BOL) that we have been living in since December 2010. As can be seen by the above picture - calling it simply a "Manor" doesn't do it justice - we bet you think it is more like an "Estate", eh?

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Who Are We?

we are jambaloney and kymber. here's a pic of us below...we look very happy and content. it's because we really are!

About jambaloney

(he's only 23 in this pic...he has 20+years of additional muscle now...if you can believe it!)

kymber here and talking about jambaloney.

i've always called him my angel. my rock. my best half. the best part of what i have always wanted to become.

he has a soul as big as the biggest mountain, he is strong, he is in incredible physical condition, he is 51 and yet most people think he is under 40. he is humble and modest, charming, gorgeous and will help anyone with anything at anytime. he never grumbles and only every now and again complains or is a tiny bit cranky (nothing that a hug can't fix!). he can cut both sides out of 70 tires in minutes, build raised beds from scrap wood that he drags out of the forest, weedwhack 800ft of our road down to the river, and haul more wheelbarrows of dirt, mulch, rocks and seaweed than is probably medically-advised. he's learned how to braid, make bread and no one makes better rice - not even the chinese. he supports my every, crazy endevour. he went 44 years without a driver's license and got his license after being trained by my crazily-wonderful french canadian friend in 2 weeks. she never stopped talking the whole time. in french.

he has biked everywhere his entire life, at one job he biked 24km EACH WAY. that's to and from! 24km to work AND 24km from work! oh and just accidentally has an honours degree in philosophy.

i believe that he is Our Lord's most beautiful and perfect creation. but i might be biased. he can very accurately shoot a ben pearson cougar re-curve from both the left and right. and his aim is dead on.

he is bow-legged and only 5'7", but has the most incredible eyes. and a tiny mole on his upper lip. he writes the most romantic "insta-poems". he tells me he loves me several times a day. he calls me "babe" and "honey". and he means it.he loves hot sauce and spicey things like cayenne and banana peppers, he buys (or now picks) me flowers, he left a lucrative, high-paying IT job and his family to follow me here to this remote little island. he builds me shelves and washes all of our laundry with me by hand.

oh and he was baptized Anglican. and was an alter boy. sheesh. somehow, through my intervention, i am turning him into a pagan-christian-fundamentalist-confuscian. look, even i can't figure that out!

the name jambaloney is a nickname that i gave him over 10 years ago. he still uses it. he can be reached at "jambaloney@gmail.com". he loves comments or emails. and he loves me.

if i were given the opportunity to wish one thing for the world - i would wish that every woman on the planet had a jambaloney. i know that i could save the world this way. i have friends who have asked me to clone him. i am trying. believe me, i am trying. one day i will perfect the science involved, and when that happens, i promise all of you a jambaloney.

i love him more than...breathing, lobster, boiled dinner, fresh bread out of the oven, bugging out, singing back up for Madonna (ok...i made that one up!), fresh sheets on the bed, a glass of red wine after a long day, sunflower seeds, lavender, growing my own potatoes, T.S. Eliot, dancing, my babies (who are really just cranky old cats!) and the Bible.

i love him more than i love Framboise Manor. and i really love Framboise Manor.

About kymber

(this pic might seem odd. trust me, it's not. 20 yrs ago kymber went shopping with a girlfriend from the military and bought this dress. then she hooked up with that girlfriend recently. they caught up through email and one day kymberz friend mentioned that specific dress. kymber said she still had it (kymber still has her prom gown for crying out loud!). the friend did not believe it. so we had to take a pic of kymber wearing the 20yr old dress for her friend. kymber always likes to add accessories...and well, we had the bunny ears laying around. ya know, cuz everyone always has pink bunny ears laying around. ok, that's it...i am out of here! jambaloney)

what can i say about kymber?? A LOT!!most of it will have to wait for blog entries ‘cuz i just don’t have enough space here to do her justice…

so i’ll have to do my best… first and foremost, kymber is my partner and i will love her forever. she is the best partner anyone could ever have, i am one lucky guy!! she is 46, she is sweet as can be, smart as a whip, super cute, exceptionally feminine, strong as an ox, honest, kind, empathetic, wise, an amazing dancer, a master wit in speaking and writing….i could go on..i will!

at 5’ 1’’ she packs a wallop – a true force of nature -she is a master gardener and chef and spent 10 years in the Canadian Military – she has done 2 tours of Alert (the north bloody-cold pole). she is a UN-certified Korean linguist and spoils our 2 cats rotten. she also spent 12yrs working in the federal government, as a communications analyst at SolGen (now PSEPC) and Fintrac. she loves nature in the true sense of the phrase..the wildflowers, insects and birds here at framboise manor keep her entranced and captivated for hours.

anyone who is her friend knows that she will stop at nothing to help and heal, dedication and loyalty are an integral part of who she is and she is dead serious about anything she puts her mind to. yet she maintains the most delicate touch and a smile on her face always, never afraid to live and love no matter where and when.

she is the most genuine human being i have ever met! and she has encouraged me to embark on the most crazy and exciting adventure i could imagine… thank you babe - i sooo love you!!!